Luggage carrier



April 12 1927- w MALM LUGGAGE CARRIER Filed March 11, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 allii! l0 Him! IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEY p 1927' w. R. MALM LUGGAGE CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1926 IN V EN TOR.

LE. R. m H| m ATTOR EY Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER R. MALM, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

LUGGAGE CARRIER.

Application filed March 11, 1926. Serial No. 93,964.

The principal object of this invention is to produce a rack which will be strong in construction, and one which will receive any blow struck there-against and dissipate the blow throughout the rack and to the frame of the machine to which the rack is attached.

Another object is to produce a rack of this character which is cheap to manufacture and, therefore, well within the purchase price of the average user.

An additional object is to produce a rack which may be readily attached to any standard form of automobile without materially altering the construction of the same.

A still further object is to produce a rack which will be neat in appearance and one which will not detract from the pleasing lines of a vehicle.

Another object is to produce a rack upon which either a disc wheel may be supported or an ordinary rim having a tire thereon and to further provide means for rigidly supporting the wheels or rim against undue vibration.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure I is a perspective view of my improved rack attached to the rear of an automobile,

Figure II is a top plan view of my rack,

Figure III is an enlarged detail cross section showing one of my re-enforcing elements,

Figure IV is a diagrammatic view showing the leverage secured by my re-enforcing element,

Figure V is a vertical cross section of my improved rack showing a rim holder secured thereto, and

Figure VI is a horizontal cross section taken on the line 66 of Figure V.

In the placing of a rack upon the rear of a vehicle, the overall length of the vehicle is materially increased, the result being that it is difficult to place an adequate rear bumper upon the vehicle without having the same spaced an excessive distance from the the front and rear of the rack.

rear of the vehicle. Therefore, it is customary to only employ tip bumpers which merely guard. the wheel fenders, the result being that a collision between a vehicle approachlng from the rear results in the crushmg of the spare tire, its support and often the damaging of the rack beyond repair and the trunk which may be mounted thereon.

This has become such a common occurrence that I have devised a means for. reenforcing the rack and wheel support in such a manner that any blow struck thereagainst will be dissipated throughout the entire rack and, in turn, transmitted to the frame of the vehicle.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a vehicle as a whole having a tank 6 secured thereto. Supported above the tank and attached to the chassis in any suitable manner are supporting brackets 7 and 8. These supporting brackets may rest upon the customary cross bar 9, if one is provided upon the vehicle as is quite common in many standard makes of automobiles.

The brackets 7 and 8, in turn, support a rectangular frame 11 which is constructed of angle iron having a vertical web 12 and a horizontal web 13.

Referring now to Figure III, it will be noted that the numeral 1 1 designates a rod extending through the vertical webs 12 in This rod eX- tends beyond one of the webs so as to extend through a wheel-supporting element 16.

A spacer 17 surrounds the rod 14 and extends between the vertical webs 12. A similar spacer 18 surrounds the rod 14 and extends between the vertical web 12 and the wheel-retaining element 16. A nut 19 is screwed upon each end of the rod so that the spacers 17 and 18 will be drawn tightly against their respective abutting parts.

By referring to Figures I, II,and III, it will be noted that the front and rear horizontal webs 13 are slit as shown at 21, the result being that when a blow is struck upon the ends of the re-enforcing elements, the vertical webs 12 will give with the first blow and bend to the position shown in dotted lines in Figures II and III. It will also be noted that there will be very little tendency for vibration, due to the rigid construction caused by the leverage as brought out in it represents l ie'ure ll, where the arrow the distance between the tire airrier and the back edge of the luggage carrier. The arrow Z1 represents the leverage between the two vertical webs of the luggage carrier and the arrow (1 represents a blow which will be struck upon the tire carrier. .lt is thus apparent tha the tire carrier is mounted on a lever 'tulcrumed but a short distance from the rack and is further braced. by a long lever which gives a very rigid coast ri icti on. i

It will, therelore. be seen that the blow upon the tire carrier will be restricted by the leverage 5 as against the leverage H. 'll16ret'ore, any blow which should tend to twist the tire rarrier would be amply rcstricted.

It is common knowledge that disc wheels are hard to carry, due to their vibration which results in the cracking; of the disc or the cracking oil the luggage carrier. due to crystallization brought on by excessive vibration. 13v GTHlllOfy'lllll' Ii'lfr' reentorcing means I have so overtanne this vibration that the same substantially absent and, con sequently, I can carry disc wheels as easily as ordinary rims.

At 22 I have shown a downwardiy extendiiu brace having a tubular cross piece 23. To this tubular cross piece I attach cross braces it as by U-bolts 26. These cross braces are secured by similar cl-bolts to the rod 9.

In Figure V, I have shown a modified fol-n1 wherein a rim carrying element 27 is slmwn. This riin carrying element is provided with a cross brace 28 to which brackets 29 are attached. These braezets, in turn, are secured to the re-enforcing ele merits. in order to support the lower portion ol the rim carrier, I have shown a bracket 31 which is attached by the U-bolls 26 to a cross bar This cross bar, in turn, is secured to the bar 9 as by a clamp 353 having a. U bolt 33 secured thereto.

A spacer bar Ell has scrmv-threaded engagement with the bar 23 and with the clamp 3'2, while ad piating nuts 36 and Cl? serve to permit the necessary adjustment in positioning the rim carrier.

It will thus be seen that by employing the two reenforeing elements, ll ani enabled to support a wheel or rim "arrier upon the rear of a luggage carrier rack in such 21- manner that the same will be free of vibration and. it struck 'lrom the rear the blow will be transmitted to the vertical webs of the raclt and lrom this point: dissipated throu grhout the entire rack and tothe chassis ot the vehicle to which my device is at tached. This distribution ol the blow saves the damage which would, otherwise, result in the crushing oi the rim carrier and rack.

It will thus be noted that my device will :ircoini'ilish all of the objects above set forth. it is to be umlerstood that the form of;

arr is to be taken as a preferred example of the same. and that various changes in the shape, size and ar angenieht; of parts may be restated to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claims- 1. in a luggage carrier adapted to be ataehed to a vehicle, a substantially rectanguar frame constructed ot angle iron and raving downwardl extending webs, a pair it sruiced re-enlorcing elements extending 'ietween said webs and to a point beyond the outer margin ol one 01' said webs, said re- Qlll OlClUg" elements comprisin; bars and spacer tubes placed thereover and extendine' between said webs, a tubular spacer po itioned on each of said bars witl said bars extending beyond said webs, a tireearrying element positioned on said bars, and means {or drawing said tire-engaging elements against said tubular spacer, for the purpose specified.

ln a luggage carrier adapted to be attached to an automobile, said carrier compriiH-ing a pair of spaced brackets, a substantiall v rectangular 'lramo positioned on said brackets, said frame having downwardly extending vertical webs, said frame ha ring inwardly extending horizontal webs, a pair oi? parallel spaced rc-enforoing elements positioned between said vertical webs and extending: to a point outside of said trauma said horizontal webs having slits formed therein at; a point. adjacent said reenter-cine elements a tire supporting olenient positioned on the free ends oli said re-eirtoreineg elements, for the purpose specified.

l'n testiloony whereol I allix mysignature.

\VA'IJFER ll. MA'LM.

invention herewith shown and described 

